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Talk:Walter Winchell
This one is protected.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 03:26, May 9, 2016 (UTC) :Same as my response on the Wade talk page. Turtle Fan (talk) 03:35, May 9, 2016 (UTC) ::Dates and other specifics need slight adjustment.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 03:37, May 9, 2016 (UTC) :::Okay, go ahead. Turtle Fan (talk) 03:49, May 9, 2016 (UTC) THW On pages 113 and 114 of FO, Truman takes questions from four members of the White House Press Corps following his statement on the West German bombings. No distinguishing characteristics are mentioned, but all four are addressed by their first names: Chet, Eric, Walter, and Howard. Chet is such a rare name that I can't imagine HT picked it out of a hat. Given the context, I'm certain this was an oblique reference to Huntley. Then I started wondering what he was driving at with the other three, more common names. Walter made me think of Winchell pretty quickly. Eric and Howard I'm still mulling over. Ten years ago I think we would not have hesitated to give this article a THW section and create a Chet Huntley article. These days we're more inclined to look before we leap. Thoughts? Turtle Fan (talk) 07:49, August 19, 2016 (UTC) :I'm assuming Eric Sevareid and Howard K. Smith. I think the identities of the four are pretty clear, but when the time comes, it might be best to add a disclaimer lit comm to each article: "While Eric's surname isn't given, the context of his proximity to Chet, Walter, and Howard, and the fact that these same historical reporters appear in other Harry Turtledove works, suggest that he is the historical Sevareid." And interchanged as necessary for each one.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 08:02, August 19, 2016 (UTC) ::A good suggestion. Good catch on the other two as well, and I didn't realize we already had Huntley. Of course, this means four Easter eggs fail to yield a single new article among them, which is disappointing. Turtle Fan (talk) 15:43, August 19, 2016 (UTC) :::I had figured, at the time, Chet Huntley from the unusual given name and from that assumed Eric was Sevareid. The other two weren't immediately obvious but I assumed they were famous contemporaries. One question I have is whether this appearance is prominent enough for sub-sections or should they be included in "Hist. Figs."? We haven't reached "S" and "W" yet so it is moot for the other, existing entries but the one for Huntley would have been prominent enough to keep as an article. ML4E (talk) 16:06, August 19, 2016 (UTC) ::::They appear directly (albeit briefly), so, sub-sections.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 18:20, August 19, 2016 (UTC) :::::I think so as well. It helps that each already has an article, might be harder to justify creating new ones for such brief and oblique appearances. Turtle Fan (talk) 19:42, August 19, 2016 (UTC) ::::::I agree. It's obvious who these reporters are, and HT hasn't drowned us in analogs of the Charlie Lynton/Kurt Haldweim variety in this series. TR (talk) 21:58, August 19, 2016 (UTC) :::::::Incidentally, the current article for Howard K. Smith consists of an off-the-cuff reference in The Man With the Iron Heart which should be reassigned to hist figs or maybe perf arts when the time comes. The direct appearance in Fallout gives the article a reason to exist.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 07:08, August 20, 2016 (UTC) :::TF says: "It helps that each already has an article, might be harder to justify creating new ones ..." :::Jonathan says: "Incidentally, the current article for Howard K. Smith consists of an off-the-cuff reference ..." :::This comes back to my point of whether or not this brief appearance justifies article sub-sections. If no one had done up articles based on TMWtIH, then Smith would not have had an article. So, in that case, would the FO appearance justify its creation? ML4E (talk) 16:09, August 20, 2016 (UTC) ::::If we do the other three, I think consistency would demand it, especially since Smith asked the most pointed question of any of them. Turtle Fan (talk) 17:07, August 20, 2016 (UTC) :::::It would for the reasons above: obviously Smith, no chances of it being the fictional "Howard L. Jones", actually directly appears. TR (talk) 17:30, August 20, 2016 (UTC) Deletions Joe Steele is an incidental reference. THW is a direct appearance, and 191 is a nearly-direct appearance.JonathanMarkoff (talk) 21:20, October 10, 2016 (UTC)